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(No Model.)

A. B. SGHOFIELDQ SEAL PRESS.

No. 601,404. Patented Mar. 29, 1898.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

ALBERT B. SOHOFIELD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE KEY- STONE SEAL AND PRESS COMPANY, LIMITED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SEAL-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 601,404, dated March 29, 1898. Application filed July 9, 1897. Serial No. 643,964. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT- B. SOHOFIELD, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Seal-Presses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in seal-presses, with the object in view of providing a simple powerful press which shall leave a clear impress of any characters which it may be desired to place upon the seal and effectively close the seal onto the wire bail without causing the metal to flow at the edge of the seal.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view of the press in side elevation as it appears when open for the reception of a seal to be compressed. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing one of the side plates removed to disclose the operative parts with: in the press. Fig. 3 is a view in longitudinal section through the edges of the parts, showing the parts in their closed position. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section" through the front and rear sides of the press, and Fig. 5 is a view in end elevation.

The framework of the press consists of a pair of side plates (represented by A A) conveniently made symmetrical and held spaced apart a sufficient distance to receive the operating-levers between them by means of rivets, in the present instance four rivets, (denoted, respectively, by Ct at a a which rivets also form the fulcrums for the two sets of operating-levers.

The levers which carry the pressure-heads and which for convenience I term the pressure-head levers are denoted, respectively, by B and B. They are fulcrumed upon the rivets a a and have at their ends projecting beyond the plates A A pressure-heads O O, removably secured thereto, in the present instance, by means of screws 0 c, which pass through the ends of the levers B B and are screwed into the backs of the pressureheads O C.

The removable pressure-heads O O are prevented from changing their relations to one another and to the levers to which they are secured by means of flattened portions 0 on their inner or under sides, which are adapted to engage with an easy sliding fit projections 0 on the levers B B at one side of the wall of the shallow socket, which receives the back of the pressure-heads. The faces of the pres sure-heads are made concave or dish shape, as shown at 0 and one or both of the dishshaped faces may be provided with characters out in its face to be reproduced upon the seal, as is common.

The pressure-head levers B B are operated in a direction to close the pressure-heads toward one another by means of operating-levers D D, which at the same time serve as a handle for holding the press.

'The' levers D D are fulcrumed upon the rivets a? a and their short arms at d engage the long arms of the pressure-head levers B B, so that when the operating-levers D D are drawn together they will tend to throw the long arms of the pressure-head levers B B apart, and hence close the pressure-heads themselves toward one another. One of the operating-levers-in the present instance D may be provided with a lug 01 to limit the movement of the levers toward one another and hence the limit to which the pressureheads can be thrown together. The object is to arrest the movement of the pressureheads toward one another at a point where they will be in a plane substantially parallel to one another and where the seal will have been compressed to the extent desired.

The operating-levers D D are arranged to work in unison by the engagement of a nose d on the one with a recess 01 on the other. The parts are thrown and normally held into their open positions by means of springs-= in the present instance bar-springs E and E- the free ends of which press against the outer sides of the long arms of the pressure*head levers B B. The bar-springs E and E are each provided with laterally-projecting ears e e, which are received in slots (1 a formed opposite one another on the inner faces of the plates A A at the ends of the plates toward the 'pressureheads, and the springs themselves are held in position with their ears in the slots by means of small retainingscrews f f, which extend through one of the platesin the present instance A-and impinge against one of the ears 6 of the spring, the latter being provided with a slight recess for more securely looking it, if desired. The springs E E so located exert a pressure at their free ends upon the ends of the long arms of the pressure-head levers, where their spring tension is exerted to advantage, and the springs themselves have a sufficient length to prevent them from any liability of breaking under the strain to which they are exerted when the pressure-heads are closed.

The springs may-be readily removed-when for any cause they become weakened or otherwise need renewal without disturbing any of the remaining operative parts of the press by simply removing the retaining-screws f f. The structure hereinabove described alsoprovides for the ready removal of the pressureheads themselves for renewal or repair, and this can be accomplished without'disturbing other operating parts by simply removing the retaining-screws c c.

The location of the springs E E is such as to form a closure at the opposite edges of the press to prevent the accumulation of dust and foreign matter between the plates, where it milled or corrugated edge as the seal may have been provided with to prevent tampering.

It is obvious that slight changes might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not wish to limit myself strictly. to the structure shown and described; but

What I claim is 1 A seal-press comprising side plates spaced apart, pressure-head levers fulcrumed be- :tween the side plates, operating-levers fulcrumed between the side plates and engaged with the pressure-head-levers, and springs provided with wings for securing the springs to and between the side plates exterior to and bearing upon the long arms of the pressurehead levers, the said springs forming, at the or flattened portion integral therewith and the other with a projection integral therewith and adapted to engage the said-raised or fiattened portion to hold the pressure head against rotary displacement, substantially as set forth.

ALBERT B. SOHOFIELD. Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, O. S. 'SUNDGREN. 

